Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1520.
The endless blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see.
A gentle breeze swept across the surface, leaving ripples in its wake while seagulls soared high overhead.
Near the Red Line stood a towering island fortress surrounded on all sides by walls dozens of meters high.
Its sheer scale radiated an air of solemn authority.
This was Marine Headquarters—
Marineford.
An absolute forbidden zone for pirates.
At that moment, inside one of the senior officers’ offices, a tall and somewhat lanky middle-aged man lounged in his chair with his legs crossed and resting on the desk.
He wore a bright yellow shirt, and even his trousers were golden.
None of his facial features looked particularly unusual on their own, but when put together, they somehow gave him a rather shifty appearance.
He even looked a little like a monkey.
Naturally, no Marine would ever dare say that aloud.
After all, the man dressed in yellow was none other than Borsalino—
The famous Admiral Kizaru.
One of the Marines’ three Admirals and among the greatest military powers of the World Government.
Within the Marines, his status stood second only to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
“Oh my~ I seem to have forgotten to tell the Personnel Department to arrange a secure position for that brat Leon and get him enlisted.”
Kizaru scratched his ear as the thought suddenly occurred to him.
Leon was his nephew.
A sixteen-year-old boy.
He was the only son of Kizaru’s late younger sister and the only family Kizaru had left.
“If I remember correctly, that brat should still be somewhere in the North Blue.”
Kizaru thought for a moment.
“Hmm~ Knowing how lazy he is, he probably hasn’t left that den of his unless something important happened.”
Kizaru understood his nephew’s personality all too well.
With that in mind, he slowly rose from his chair.
The Personnel Department was conveniently located on the floor below, so he might as well pay them a visit himself.
To secure a stable job for his hopelessly lazy nephew, Admiral Kizaru had decided to make use of his connections for once.
He was an Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
What was wrong with slipping one person into the Marines and letting him collect a salary?
Who would dare object?
“I can’t exactly let that lazy brat starve to death.
Without me pulling a few strings, he’d probably end up dying in the street sooner or later.”
“He’s the only child my little sister left behind.
As his uncle, how could I stand by and watch that happen?”
With that thought in mind, Kizaru headed downstairs to the Personnel Department.
Marine Headquarters’ Personnel Department was responsible for keeping records on Marine personnel stationed throughout the four Blues.
Every year, all Marine branches in the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue had to report how many new recruits they had accepted.
The Personnel Department then compiled the information to maintain accurate records of the Marines’ total manpower.
It might have sounded like an easy assignment, but it was anything but.
The Marines stationed there were constantly busy.
They had to manage personnel numbers, calculate salaries and benefits, handle compensation for Marines killed in action, and take care of countless other administrative matters.
When Kizaru arrived at the entrance, he saw a large group of Marines hard at work inside.
There were both men and women, most of them young and inexperienced.
From their fresh faces alone, it was easy to tell that many had only joined the Marines within the past few years.
Only newcomers would work with such tireless enthusiasm.
“Y-You’re…”
“Admiral Kizaru?!”
The moment the Admiral entered, the entire department erupted into commotion.
Countless pairs of eyes turned toward him, filled with awe and respect.
“Carry on with your work.
I’m only here to deal with a small personal matter.”
Kizaru casually waved them off.
Before long, the department resumed its usual bustle.
However, Kizaru’s arrival had already caught the attention of the officer in charge.
The man hurried over and stopped in front of him with an extremely respectful expression.
“Admiral Kizaru, is there anything I can do for you?”
Kizaru did not bother beating around the bush.
“I’d like to slip someone into the Marines.”
He paused.
“No, that didn’t sound quite right.”
“I have a nephew named Leon.
He is exceptionally gifted, incredibly talented, and an extremely rare genius.”
“Back in the North Blue, every villager knows that my nephew has the potential to become an Admiral.”
“He is also diligent, hardworking, dependable, obedient, respectful toward his superiors…”
“He spends twenty-four hours a day training without eating or drinking.
The villagers have nothing but praise for him.”
“This year, he turned sixteen, which means he is officially old enough to enlist.”
“So…”
“I intend to arrange for him to join the Marines.
I came here to inform your department so you can prepare the necessary paperwork.”
“Send word to the Marine branch in the North Blue afterward and have them complete the process as quickly as possible.”
The officer in charge froze for a moment.
He soon recovered, however, revealing no trace of surprise as he quickly nodded.
“Admiral Kizaru’s nephew wishes to join the Marines?
Rest assured, I will make all the necessary arrangements.”
It was only a matter of getting one person into the Marines.
Hardly a big deal.
An Admiral using his influence to arrange a position for someone was perfectly understandable.
And this person was Kizaru’s own nephew.
That made the situation even simpler.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
After a brief pause, Kizaru added, “My nephew is actually rather similar to me in certain respects.”
“In fact, in some areas, his talent has already surpassed mine.
The student has exceeded the master, you might say.”
“You must personally oversee his enlistment.
Make sure nothing delays it.”
As Kizaru spoke, a trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
He could not help recalling the last time he had returned to the North Blue several years ago and visited his nephew.
Leon had still been in his early teens, yet he was already nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall.
He always wore black, probably because white clothes stained too easily and required too much effort to wash.
At an age when most boys should have been bursting with energy, Leon spent his days lying in a rocking chair beneath the warm sunlight.
He wore sunglasses, rested one leg over the other, and slept without a care in the world.
He was unbelievably lazy.
His house had also been a complete mess.
Even Kizaru had to admit it.
His nephew had perfectly inherited his finest qualities.
No—
The boy had surpassed him.
When it came to sheer laziness, even Kizaru had to concede defeat.
“His talent in certain areas has surpassed even yours, Admiral Kizaru?!”
The officer inhaled sharply after hearing such extraordinary praise.
His mind was visibly shaken.
At the same time, he felt an intense curiosity toward the Admiral’s mysterious nephew.
The man standing before him was one of the Marines’ greatest military powers.
One of the three Admirals.
It was difficult to imagine that anyone could possess talent so great that even Admiral Kizaru felt inferior.
In that case, there could be no doubt.
That sixteen-year-old boy named Leon had to be an extraordinary genius.
The officer silently made up his mind.
He would personally oversee Leon’s enlistment and ensure that everything was handled flawlessly.
There could be no mistakes.